As is well known, a radar system is a system that derives information about a remote target by directing radio frequency (RF) signals (e.g., RF pulses, etc.) toward the target and analyzing the return energy that results from reflection of the transmitted signals from the target. Radar systems may have different missions or roles that may each involve different types of targets or threats. Radar missions may include, for example, air surveillance or defense missions; weapon locating or counterfire missions; fire control missions; space surveillance missions; surface surveillance missions; weather determination missions, and others. Targets or threats associated with different radar missions may include, for example, aircraft threats, weapon or ballistic threats, aircraft or ballistic targets; spacecraft targets; ship targets; ground vehicle targets, and others. Each of these threats or targets can have many variations and may be associated with corresponding optimizations or tailoring for different radar missions. For example, aircraft threats may involve fixed wing aircraft, rotary wing aircraft, large or small aircraft, fast or slow aircraft, bombers, fighters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and others. Ballistic targets may include, for example, rockets, mortar shells, and/or various sized artillery each having different speeds and sizes.
Different threat properties may pose different challenges to a radar that can best be met by employing different radar configurations. Different radar configurations may include, for example, fixed (stationary) versus rotating antennas; fast, medium, or slow update rates (target revisit rates); gapped, tight, or overlapping beam coverage; small versus large acquisition search areas; different radar “modes” designed to best detect specific types of targets; different digital data links between radar and command/control systems depending upon mission; and/or others.
Techniques are needed that are capable of supporting a variety of different radar mission types and/or modes in a radar in an efficient manner.